Rizzotti named Coach of the Year in America East

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published 1:00 am, Friday, March 10, 2006

WEST HARTFORD - The University of Hartford women's basketball team captured three of the four top postseason honors hande out by the America East Conference, as announced Thursday morning at the conference's annual banquet.

Senior guard
Erika Messam
was named America East Player of the Year while freshman
Erica Beverly
was the unanimous selection as Rookie of the Year. Rounding out the major awards was head coach
Jennifer Rizzotti
, who was named Coach of the Year in a vote of her peers.

Messam and Beverly became the first-ever Player and Rookie of the Year honorees in Hartford Hawks women's basketball history. Rizzotti is just the second Hartford coach to earn the Coach of the Year honor.

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Rizzotti, a New Fairfield High graduate,, has guided the Hawks to a school record 23 wins and 15 conference victories while winning the program's first-ever regular-season title. Earlier this season, she earned her 100th career victory and is the winningest coach in Hartford women's basketball history with a career record of 115-88 (.567). She also coached four players to all-conference status, a conference record.